her eyes widen, but there is no time to move. the fish strikes her face hard, and she yelps, falling backward in her shock. she resurfaces after a moment, now sopping and with fur hanging flat over her eyes. for a moment rage simmers beneath her skin. what had he been thinking? or had he been thinking at all?

and then the absurdity of it all dawns on her, and a strangled laugh slips from her lips. it is entirely unladylike— a snort here, a ragged inhale there. but she can't quite stop herself either, even as embarrassment settles heavy in her gut. when at last her laughing fit subsides, she begins sheepishly to pry each scale from its skin.